If it wins, the dreamt-of gold figurine will go to Ukraine, however, remarks the Moscow-based daily Izvestia.
Contending for an Oscar on Russia's behalf will be "The Night Watch", movie of the year, determined the Russian Academy Award Committee.
Ukraine has no such spectacular achievements to offer, and has done wisely to come out with the "Driver"-a well-made movie indicative of the entire post-Soviet filmmaking. Pavel Chukhrai was once an Oscar nominee, with his "Thief". Now Ukraine has an Oscar hope in reward for a quarter of production expenditures it assumed, to say nothing of Crimean shooting sites and top-notch actor Bohdan Stupka.
Though the "Driver" is a profoundly Russian film, Ukraine has every right to nominate it as co-production, acknowledges Pavel Chukhrai.
"I'd have got stuck with my 'Driver' if not for Ukraine," he said to Novosti.
